Practical Details
How to get there; funding; accommodation; and other essentials. ​
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The NAHR Ecopoetry Workshop is built on a self-supporting model, wherein participants bring all they need to thrive in, and contribute to, the workshop. Then, when we get together, new ideas and work can take off.
ABOUT THE TALEGGIO VALLEY:
The Taleggio Valley is located in Italy, to the north of the major urban center, Milan. It is in the foothills of the Italian Alps. The mountains are high, but are not among the highest of Europe, and can be walked if you have a good level of fitness. Over centuries, cattle has roamed the hills of the valley, and the local dairy industry became famous for its production of a distinctive style of cheese. The valley contains many small towns, including Sottochiesa, Pizzino, Olda, Vedeseta, Lecco, Peghera, and Reggetto.
ACCOMMODATION:
Workshop participants will stay at the NAHR headquarters, Soggiorno Mazzoleni, the small hotel owned by the Mazzoleni family. Ilaria Mazzoleni, who founded NAHR, grew up in the building, and expertly hosts residents. Participants stay in the hotel's self-contained apartments, and provide for their own food and self-care. There are grocery stores and restaurants nearby, a laundry onsite, and there is limited wifi access.
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The hotel can certainly be described as 'rustic'. It is not a modern, fancy building that you might find in an urban center. However, the apartments provide everything you need, and are brimming with charm.
HOW TO GET THERE:
You can fly into Milan and take the train to Bergamo, then a bus from Bergamo to San Giovanni Bianco, then another bus from San Giovanni Bianco to Sottochiesa. We can also arrange to pick you up from Bergamo on Monday the 2nd of July, and then drop you off again in Bergamo when the workshop is finished, on the 15th.
HOW TO FUND THE WORKSHOP:
The cost of the workshop is 600 euros. This covers accommodation, administration, car hire, and facilitation. For a 2-weeks residency, it is highly affordable! We recommend that you apply for funding through one of the various arts funding institutions around the world. If you are associated with a University, as faculty or as a graduate student, this would be a perfect project for a departmental, travel, or professional/creative development grant to fund. If you would like to consult with us about potential funding opportunities in your area, please get in touch with us.
HOW TO PREPARE:
We simply ask that you give serious thought to how you would like to work during this two-week residency, including how you imagine other members of the workshop being involved, how you want to explore the theme of grasses and pastures, what work you have already done in the lead up to this workshop, and what you want to produce by the end of it. You do not, of course, need to have anything locked-in, but we do prefer that participants come with a range of ideas to explore.
We also ask that you read the short list of texts that we will send out in advance. These poetic and theoretical texts will provide a valuable basis for our discussions.
LANGUAGE ISSUES:
You do not need to know Italian! We assume that most applicants for this workshop will be working with English in some way. All discussion will be held in English. You may, as part of your practice, work with translation. This is a very interesting thing, and we welcome such a focus in this workshop.
MATERIALS:
Please bring any materials that you foresee working with, because supplies of paper, writing implements, etc., can be limited in the valley. If you are missing anything, a special trip may be made.
How to get there; funding; accommodation; and other essentials. ​
​
The NAHR Ecopoetry Workshop is built on a self-supporting model, wherein participants bring all they need to thrive in, and contribute to, the workshop. Then, when we get together, new ideas and work can take off.
ABOUT THE TALEGGIO VALLEY:
The Taleggio Valley is located in Italy, to the north of the major urban center, Milan. It is in the foothills of the Italian Alps. The mountains are high, but are not among the highest of Europe, and can be walked if you have a good level of fitness. Over centuries, cattle has roamed the hills of the valley, and the local dairy industry became famous for its production of a distinctive style of cheese. The valley contains many small towns, including Sottochiesa, Pizzino, Olda, Vedeseta, Lecco, Peghera, and Reggetto.
ACCOMMODATION:
Workshop participants will stay at the NAHR headquarters, Soggiorno Mazzoleni, the small hotel owned by the Mazzoleni family. Ilaria Mazzoleni, who founded NAHR, grew up in the building, and expertly hosts residents. Participants stay in the hotel's self-contained apartments, and provide for their own food and self-care. There are grocery stores and restaurants nearby, a laundry onsite, and there is limited wifi access.
​
The hotel can certainly be described as 'rustic'. It is not a modern, fancy building that you might find in an urban center. However, the apartments provide everything you need, and are brimming with charm.
HOW TO GET THERE:
You can fly into Milan and take the train to Bergamo, then a bus from Bergamo to San Giovanni Bianco, then another bus from San Giovanni Bianco to Sottochiesa. We can also arrange to pick you up from Bergamo on Monday the 2nd of July, and then drop you off again in Bergamo when the workshop is finished, on the 15th.
HOW TO FUND THE WORKSHOP:
The cost of the workshop is 600 euros. This covers accommodation, administration, car hire, and facilitation. For a 2-weeks residency, it is highly affordable! We recommend that you apply for funding through one of the various arts funding institutions around the world. If you are associated with a University, as faculty or as a graduate student, this would be a perfect project for a departmental, travel, or professional/creative development grant to fund. If you would like to consult with us about potential funding opportunities in your area, please get in touch with us.
HOW TO PREPARE:
We simply ask that you give serious thought to how you would like to work during this two-week residency, including how you imagine other members of the workshop being involved, how you want to explore the theme of grasses and pastures, what work you have already done in the lead up to this workshop, and what you want to produce by the end of it. You do not, of course, need to have anything locked-in, but we do prefer that participants come with a range of ideas to explore.
We also ask that you read the short list of texts that we will send out in advance. These poetic and theoretical texts will provide a valuable basis for our discussions.
LANGUAGE ISSUES:
You do not need to know Italian! We assume that most applicants for this workshop will be working with English in some way. All discussion will be held in English. You may, as part of your practice, work with translation. This is a very interesting thing, and we welcome such a focus in this workshop.
MATERIALS:
Please bring any materials that you foresee working with, because supplies of paper, writing implements, etc., can be limited in the valley. If you are missing anything, a special trip may be made.